A few thoughts on Video Games

But Have you played my Second Game?

This one was for the Elderberry Jam held by the GameDevNetwork. If you’ve ever played Plants vs Zombies, it’ll be familiar.

It’s a tower defense game with an element of management mixed in. The story goes as such:

Team 42 is a trio of friends bent on world domination. At their core is Gurdan, a cyborg with a strange vision of reality, who formed this team with the only friends he has. His friends include Stella, a sorceress and the team’s most powerful member, and Frank, a human with a knack for formulating plans and strategies.

Their HQ is based in Gurdan’s studio apartment, where they meet, watch T.V, play video games, and generally do everything except make a plan. But it seems their non-existent plan was somehow sniffed out by the ‘Devil Hunters’, an outlawed cult of maniacs who believe that their world must be saved from anything or anyone that dabbles in magic or the sciences. And now Team 42 is under attack.

Stella is the only one who can stop this incursion, but as always, she’s fast asleep. You play as Frank, who’s job is to keep Stella awake and tell her when and where to summon defenses.

Currently, there’s very little in the game. Only 2 defenses and one type of enemy.

You right-click for ‘Dark Knights’ and left-click for ‘Turrets’ (they’re temporary). Survive 3 waves of enemy knights, and you’ve won the game. Stella can only summon in front of or behind the magic barrier (it’s green). She also falls asleep periodically, so you’ll have to wake her.

Do try it out and give some feedback, if possible. The game’s largely unfinished, and I’m considering whether to give it some polish or just move onto the next game. Oh, and do read the instructions.

Tip: Once you wake Stella, she’ll still be groggy. Wake her again to make her fully awake (she’ll be levitating slightly with glowing eyes). Since her sleeping pattern is predictable, try to time it just right, so that she sleeps during the 10 turn cooldown.

——x——

Frank: So why Team 42? Is this part of a bigger deal, with Teams everywhere?

Gurdan: Uh, not yet. I’m still working on that. But you see, I read this wonderful book, in which the number…